Less workload: with traditional media such as Sabouraud agar, identification of mixed cultures is difficult, whereas CHROMagarTM Candida, just by the colour of the colony, will instantly differentiate various Candida species.

Facilitates the choice of appropriate and optimised antifungal therapies.

Medium Description

Gain flexibility using powder rather than ready to use plates: Use the entire pack, or if there is a need for a smaller number of plates, just a portion. If kept under appropriate storage temperature, CHROMagarTMCandida has a 3 years shelf of life. This flexibility is essential to avoid the waste resulting from expired-unused plates.
No need of supplements: all components are included in the powder.

Please refer to our IFU and Material Safety data sheet for complete information about the medium. CHROMagar™, Rambach™, AquaCHROM™ are trademarks created by Dr. A. Rambach.

Last Update: 26-Oct-2017

Focus on Candida Species

Commensal yeasts usually present in the human mouth, gastro-intestinal tract, vagina and skin, Candida species can also be opportunistic pathogens. They are one of the most common causes of fungal infections.

Two main diseases (called candidiasis or candidosis) are described:

Mucocutaneous Candidiasis:
Usually of minor consequence, these skin or mucosal infections can, however, become severe in immuno-compromised patients such as HIV-positive individuals.

Systemic Candidiasis:
This nosocomial infection occurrs in patients whose resistance to infection is drastically lowered as a result of immunosuppression, major surgery, trauma, etc.

Candida Epidemiologic Issues

Perhaps as a result of progress in medical therapy with a related decrease in patient resistance and increase in the number of susceptible hosts, the incidence of bloodstream Candida infections rose through the 1990s but has stabilised in recent years.

More commonly, Candida species are involved in superficial oropharyngeal and urogenital infections. T“Early diagnosis is essential for early effective management of the patients.” WHO Guidelines on Standard Operating Procedures for Laboratory Diagnosis of HIV-Opportunistic Infections)

Although C. albicans remains the major species involved, other types such as C. tropicalis,C. krusei or C.glabrata have increased proportionately as new antifungal agents have worked very effectively against C. albicans.

Speciation of Candida species isolated from clinical specimens by using Chromagar and conventional methods